DOA
by Elledreamer
Summary: My response to my own 'The End' challenge. ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you may recognise. This applies to the entire fic.**

* * *

Chapter 1

Boston was as busy as ever. It was the middle of the summer holidays and everyone was outside enjoying the sun. The streets were packed with cars full of stuffy travellers fanning themselves with magazines and trying to calm screaming, red-faced babies. At the nearby park, kids charged around screaming whilst a huge queue had developed at the ice cream van. It was the middle of summer, one of the hottest days of the year, and everybody knew it.

Alpha Force were sat next to the fountain in the middle of the park. Most of the other members avoided them, knowing that anyone who disturbed Amber Middleton in the middle of town weren't going to live much longer. But most of the residents of Boston knew the old Amber, the Amber who would murder someone for splashing her. The Amber that was currently laid on the concrete border to the fountain was much different, and was rather enjoying the power she had over her neighbours.

Li was sat next to Amber's feet, her own feet in the cool fountain water. Paulo was leant against the side of the fountain attempting to resist the temptation to tickle Amber's feet. Alex was sat on the grass beside the three, absorbed in a book he'd found on John Middleton's shelves about survival in the wild, and Hex sat next to him, was, as always, on his palmtop computer.

It was a lazy feel that had overcome Alpha Force. A relaxed complacence had settled over the five of them, and nothing could destroy it.

"Amber?" Hex asked looking up from his palmtop. Amber replied with an inaudible murmur. She didn't move. Hex sighed. "Are we going to do anything else today?"

Amber murmured again, but this time it was a little more eligible to what she said.

"Go away" she muttered, keeping her eyes closed and shifting her feet slightly. Hex rolled his eyes.

"Nice" he sighed and glanced across to Alex "Want to do something?"

Alex looked up from his book. "Yeah ok. What did you have in mind?"

"I was going to go and have a look at the museum actually. Might not be computers but it's better than stifling heat". Hex looked across at Amber scathingly before turning to Li and Paulo. "You two coming?"

Li hopped down from the fountain. "Ok" she said grinning. "Paulo?"

"You three go," he said smiling "I will bring Amber in a minute. Once she is up". Hex suppressed a smile as he Alex and Li set off across the park.

"Good luck Paulo" he said, turning to his friend "Don't get too close, she might bite". Paulo chuckled as he watched his three friends head over to the edge of the park.

Amber could feel something on her foot. It was light, but slightly ticklish, like a piece of grass, or a spider. She twitched her foot to move it but as soon as she did the sensation increased. Amber opened her eyes. Sat at her feet was Paulo, his fingers lightly brushing her soles.

"Paulo!" she exclaimed angrily. He wouldn't get away with this… Paulo merely grinned and increased the tickling.

Amber yelped and pulled her feet out of Paulo's reach only for them to fall into the fountain next to her. Half her body followed and she found herself half in, half out of the fountain with a delighted Paulo next to her. She glared up at him.

"Paulo!" she shouted. "You just wait!" Paulo lifted his eyebrows, obviously amused before reaching out a hand and helping Amber out of the fountain.

As she tried to wring some of the water out of her shorts Amber glanced up at Paulo before sitting down and pulling on her sandals.

"You're lucky I didn't pull you in with me" she stood up. "Where're the others?"

Paulo jerked his head in the direction of the road and Amber looked up as the two of them began walking across the park.

Hex, Alex and Li had already reached the road, and were currently waiting for the lights to turn red before they crossed.

"Where they going anyway" Amber asked miserably looking up at Paulo.

"The museum Hex said" replied Paulo.

Amber rolled her eyes "Oh the thrill" she sighed. She could hear Paulo laughing next to her and frowned. Who'd want to go to a museum on a day like this? She and Paulo had almost reached the road. Amber turned behind to check they hadn't left anything at the fountain. Before everything changed. Forever.

The only thing that Amber was aware of was the noise of an engine and a sharp high scream. She whipped her head round to the side back to the road to see a car, black smoke streaming from its exhaust, spinning away down the road. And then further up to the left, a small crowd gathering. Looking down at something laid out on the floor. A person. And then Amber realised. It was Hex.

Next to her she heard Paulo say something but didn't take in what it was as he sprinted off. Nothing seemed real. There were people moving and noises, but nothing could draw Amber's gaze away from the prone figure on the road, four yards in front of her. She felt sick. And hot. Very hot. A lump rose in her throat and her head seemed to pound. Nothing made sense, nothing was real. Through the blurs that had seemed to form in front of her eyes she could make out Paulo on the floor next to Hex, Li stood staring, horrified down at them, and Alex on his mobile. His voice drifted up to her as if it had come out of a radio…

"And for God's sake hurry…"

Time passed. Amber wasn't aware of anything anymore. Not even herself, because it was all different. Nothing was real. It couldn't be real. A stark change in colour dragged her out of her trance. An ambulance had parked not far away, the green men making their way hurriedly through the crowd. There were voices and noises and things happening. They moved him. They moved Hex, and Paulo got in too. It was all different. None of it real. Except it was.

Amber felt Alex at her side.

"Come on Amber" he said shakily "We're getting a taxi". His voice seemed muffled, not his. Amber didn't reply but allowed herself to be led to a waiting taxi. She forced herself into the back seat. Words washed over her head. She could hear crying, but Alex's face wasn't wet. Li was there, Amber remembered numbly. Somewhere… Indistinct voices danced around her. But she couldn't grab them. Couldn't secure herself… Her legs were still wet, dripping onto the carpet.

The journey passed without Amber realising it. It could have been five minutes; it could have been half an hour before Alex was pulling her out of the car into a large, grey yard. There was much more here. More lights. More everything. But less of things to make sense of. She could see Paulo in the difference, and saw Li run to him. She felt Alex's hand in hers and followed him to where they were unloading a stretcher. Hex…

Next to her Paulo was shouting something, Li was sobbing. Alex was silent, but Amber knew she was the only one who heard it. The only one who heard the thing the nurse nearby said. Three letters. Three letters that destroyed her world and sent her spiralling into a place she couldn't fathom going…

"DOA".

* * *

**A/N: This was written in response to my own challenge 'The End'. Thank you to my beta, spinkle22 - Elle xx**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Alex didn't know what to do. He'd been unceremoniously led into a small side room somewhere along with Li, Paulo and Amber and they hadn't heard anything since. He felt so helpless… Somehow he couldn't quite believe what had just happened. It _shouldn't _have happened, couldn't have, because it was Hex… and these things _didn't _happen. Except it just had.

He glanced around the room at the others. Li was sat curled up on a chair, her cheeks wet. Every so often she'd sniff or sigh and Alex knew that she was trying hard not to break down altogether. Paulo was pacing round the room and peering out of the door every ten seconds, shaking his head and muttering to himself in Spanish. Alex hadn't said anything to Paulo. He had the feeling that the Argentinean was close to breaking point too.

Alex's eyes drifted over to Amber. Out of all of them, surprisingly, she looked the calmest. But as much as she looked calm Alex knew that the look on Amber's face was nothing he'd ever seen before. She was sat with a blank, lifeless look on her face, unmoving and unblinking. Alex suddenly remembered she'd been like that since he'd dragged her into the taxi but couldn't for the life of him begin to think how to approach her.

He couldn't even seem to think about it himself. He felt sick whenever he thought about it. It didn't seem real, because it _couldn't_ be. It was wrong. SO wrong that something like this would happen…happen to them…

As much as he tried Alex couldn't help thinking about what had happened…It had been so simple. So normal. They'd stood there, the three of them. Alex and Li and…Hex. They'd waited. They'd waited until the traffic had stopped. It's what they always teach you in school. Wait for the green man. And they had. They had. But it had still happened, and it _shouldn't_ have happened.

But it did. And he could picture it now, in his mind, clear as the ripples in water…

_They were laughing. Laughing at Amber, and Hex was pointing out where the museum was. It was normal. They were chatting and laughing at it was normal… He'd looked up, Alex had looked, and the green man was there…it was there and the traffic had stopped. It had stopped, so they'd gone. They'd gone across the road and Alex wished with everything he possessed that they hadn't, but they had and it had happened. _

_They were crossing the road. It was all normal. Alex knew he was the first to hear it. The distinct sound of brakes screeching as a car pulled round a corner. And then he'd seen it. A car speeding down the wrong side of the road, past all the other traffic, and straight towards them. He remembered the sick feeling in his stomach, the smack of fear that had hit him head on, and his instinctive grab of the arm next to him. Li's arm, and then dragging her to the side, a split second before the car reached them._

_Watching it, watching it brush past Alex and Li by millimetres, straight into Hex… _

Alex stumbled across to a chair and sat down, his head suddenly spinning as he tried to shake the image from his head. He couldn't. He took a couple of shaky breaths and stared up at the ceiling; unable to shake the fear away that had crept upon him.

Alex jumped as next to him, the door clicked open, breaking the silence that had settled over the four of them. A young doctor walked in, his face void of all emotion. Paulo stopped pacing and stood, staring at him, hands on hips, his face demanding information. Li wiped her cheeks and seemed to try to control her breathing. Amber didn't move.

The doctor looked to all of them in turn before sighing.

"I'm afraid that although we did our utmost, Hex's injuries were just to severe. He stopped breathing and we were unable to get his heart started again. He died a short while ago. I'm very sorry".

Alex's head spun. He clutched the edge of his chair and was vaguely aware of Li letting out a sob before dropping to the floor and Paulo marching out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He could hear the doctor saying something but didn't-couldn't take any of it in. He could feel choked tears sting at his eyes as the click of the door signified the doctor had left. Li's loud sobs broke through the delicate tension in the room as a burning rush of heat spread through Alex's body. He tried to calm himself down but couldn't quite manage it. Hex was dead. And everything had changed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was if the world had stopped. And all that was left was her. Sat, with desolation around her. She couldn't stop crying. The tears poured down her cheeks. She couldn't stop.

Li knew she was sobbing, but to her, it was all just despair. It was everywhere. She could hear muffled voices. Alex was talking to the doctor. She didn't dare lift her head. She didn't know if she'd be able to cope with that. To be part of the world again. To see them. Because then she'd be a part of it again, she'd be a part of the desolation, and it would be real.

The images kept fluttering through her mind. Flashes, all blurred and mixed up. Like a butterfly trapped behind glass. She couldn't see it clearly, yet it kept at her. Mixing her up. Showing her again. Different bits all mixed up. Taunting her. She wondered that if she opened her eyes, the images would go away. But how much could she face? What was worse? Reliving the nightmare in her head, or facing the nightmare of reality?

Li opened her eyes, blinking in the light. She was sat curled up on the floor against the chair. The doctor was gone. Paulo was gone. Alex was gone. And of course, _he_ was gone too. He'd always be gone now. Amber was sat in the corner, staring at the wall. If anything, Li thought, Amber looked rather calm. God knew what she was thinking though.

Li slowly untangled her arms and legs and hoisted herself onto the chair. She gripped the sides of the seat, still looking at Amber. The silence felt like frost. Li willed Amber to speak, but looking at her friend told her that Amber didn't even seem to acknowledge her presence.

"Amber?" Li said tentatively, her voice breaking. Amber didn't reply, and Li felt the tears at her eyes again. The lump in her throat got worse. "Amber, I - " But she couldn't do it. She had to get away. She had to let it out.

Not even looking at her friend, Li pulled herself up and swiftly walked to the door, as she swung it open and pushed her way through, she was vaguely aware of Alex, out of the corner of her eye. But she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. She had to get away.

She pushed her way through people. Nurses and patients and families. None of them were important. They weren't her. They weren't _him._ Without even realising it she found herself in some toilets. She walked over to the cubicle at the far end, the reds and blues of the room blurring in front of her. She shut the door with a bang, rammed the lock across, flung her self down onto the toilet, and _cried._

God she cried. She'd never felt like this in all her life. Never. She'd never cried like this in her life. Tears ran freely down her face as she let out chocked sobs, her breaths short and desperate. She couldn't stop. She couldn't stop crying. She couldn't stop feeling like… It was the worst feeling in the world.

She heard the door swing open. Someone had come into the toilets. But she couldn't stop crying.

"Hello?" The voice said, "Is someone there? Are you OK?" Li sniffed and managed a strangled, "I'm fine." She swallowed and tried to calm down her breathing. But it was still there. The awful feeling was still there. She reeled off some toilet roll and wiped her eyes. The voice spoke again.

"If you're sure then…" It trailed off. "Sorry for disturbing you." Li didn't answer. It didn't matter. Nothing else mattered now.

She leaned forward and rested her head on the door. The floor shone proudly up at her. Li didn't care. God knew where any of the others were, or what was going to happen. It didn't matter. Because it hadn't worked. Crying hadn't worked. Because it was still there. The awful feeling was still there. And Li knew. She knew. It would never go away…

* * *

**A/N: This chapter and the two previous ones were edited since 15/04/08. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, it is much appreciated, and to my beta, spinkle22 - Elle xx**


End file.
